Friends were discussing their strategy for reaching Agnes during breakfast. However, there was a problem because to reach Martha’s sister, they would have to pass through the town, which was risky for the witches at that moment. They had to avoid people at all costs.
“Surely there’s no way around the town?” Deirdra asked.
Since she had to pretend that nothing was hurting her, she forced herself to sit up straight. She also avoided sudden movements or changes in position.
“There’s the possibility of going around the town through the forests, but it would add an extra 2 days to our journey. We don’t have time for that,” worried Martha replied.
Seated at the table opposite Deirdra, she could clearly see that her friend’s bruises had turned very dark. Concerned whether Deirdra would manage such a long journey, she knew there was no chance of visiting her friend unless they embarked on the trip.
“What if we went through the town at night? There’s a chance nobody would notice us then!” Deirdra exclaimed.
“Hm… What about the town guards? They patrol the streets at night,” Martha replied.
Magant sat in silence, listening to his friends’ conversation. He decided not to voice his opinion on the matter because he wasn’t familiar with the areas the witches were discussing. He also noticed Deirdra’s condition. The monster was worried about her condition, which was completely unlike him. He didn’t understand where such concern for someone other than Ely came from. He decided not to dwell on the source of these feelings, thinking that if he felt this way, it must be because Ely allowed him to. And if the magical forest allowed it, then it must be good.
“The town is located by the lake, we could sail across the lake at night and reach the other shore,” Deirdra thought aloud.
“Would you be able to sail across the entire lake? You’re still injured,” Magant asked.
Deirdra looked at him reproachfully. She didn’t like it when someone pointed out her weaknesses.
“I’ll manage. I’m a water witch, remember?” she asked sarcastically.
She regretted it immediately, feeling ashamed that just the day before the monster had saved her, and the next day she was unkind to him. However, she decided not to apologize to him. She felt embarrassed to do so in front of Martha, fearing that she might consider their relationship too friendly, especially since they had only met yesterday. She thought it would seem like they were getting too familiar.
“Anyway, we need to find a way to get through the town. Crossing the lake seems safest for now,” Deirdra said.
“Let’s pack up and leave at noon; by then, we’ll reach the town just as the sun sets,” she added.
The friends cleaned up the dishes, then Martha started packing blankets and drinks, Deirdra prepared food for the journey, and Magant searched Deirdra’s cottage for tools that could serve as weapons in a fight.
At noon, Deirdra made sure the cottage was securely locked, and they set off. Martha felt immense stress, afraid of the journey, afraid for her friend, and also afraid of how her sister would react to news about Ely. The witch had a whirlwind of thoughts in her head and felt her hands grow cold as ice from nerves. She tried to hide her emotions from her friends, so she tried to talk and joke with them during the journey.
Meanwhile, Magant closely watched Deirdra, who tried her best to move normally while also being careful not to strain her sore body. The witch feared she had a cracked rib. She felt sharp, stabbing pain near her lung every time she breathed in.
“I have to overcome this somehow. I wonder if Agnes will know how to treat a broken rib,” Deirdra thought.
The friends noticed approaching black clouds. The beautiful meadow, surrounded by trees, suddenly turned dark and ominous. In the distance, they could hear the distant rumble of a storm. The witches decided to keep going since they had nowhere to shelter. They would have to return to Deirdra’s cottage and wait out the storm.
“There’s no point in turning back; we still have a long way to go,” Martha said, wrapping herself tighter as the wind picked up.
“If we had to go back to my cottage every time it rained, we’d never get anywhere,” Deirdra commented.
Magant nodded in agreement with both witches.
The storm had picked up, rain poured down in streams, the wind was so strong that they had to lean forward during their hike, and lightning struck constantly. In the distance, they could hear trees on the edges of the forest snapping from the lightning and gusts of wind. Thunder rumbled incessantly.
“We haven’t had a storm like this in years,” Martha shouted.
She walked with squinted eyes, barely able to see, drenched, with water sloshing in her boots with every step.
“We’d be just as wet if we crossed the lake,” Magant shouted back.
Deirdra pondered what advice she could offer for their situation, but nothing came to mind. She wasn’t a powerful witch. Deirdra’s powers were sufficient for caring for bodies of water, but only the most powerful water witches could control rain and storms. They would have to weather the storm and hope it passed quickly.
“Are you holding up, Deirdra?” Magant asked.
Deirdra heard a note of concern in his voice.
“Yes, everything’s fine,” she replied with a smile.
The witch was glad the monster was with her. She felt safer that way. However, with each step, Deirdra felt her strength waning, and the pain intensified. She feared she might faint again, but fear for Ely and anger at people drove her body to keep going. Additionally, the adrenaline she felt as they approached the town seemed to dull the pain. At least partially.
As they neared the end of the meadow, the storm began to recede. The thunder grew quieter, and the fierce downpour turned into a drizzle. The friends breathed a sigh of relief that the weather’s tantrum was over and took shelter in a large hydrangea bush. They peeked out from behind it to assess whether the path leading through a part of the town to the lake was safe.
Unfortunately, there might be a problem with that because the transition from the meadow to the town was sudden; residential buildings were right on the town’s edge with the meadow, and the lake didn’t begin until a few minutes’ walk from their current location.
“We’ll have to enter the town to get to the magnificent lake,” Deirdra commented.
“I know you love all bodies of water, but calling it ‘wonderful’ already? It’s just a lake, Deirdra,” Martha chuckled.
“That’s its name. Wonderful Lake,” Deirdra replied. “This town was built because of it. People settled here in the past because it was always teeming with fish, and the lake mud was exceptionally good fertilizer for plants.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that. Sorry,” Martha blushed, embarrassed by her ignorance.
“What do we do now? Do we risk entering the city, or do we take the path through the forest?” Deirdra asked.
She knelt in the hydrangea bush, thorns from the rose bush next to her digging into her arm. She tried not to pay attention to it, as squirming would cause her more pain than a few thorns in her arm.
“We’ll wait for dusk and then make our way to the lake in the darkness,” Magant replied. “We won’t risk entering the city during the day, and additional days of travel might be too much for you, Deirdra.”
The witch looked into his eyes, seeing concern for her. It touched her witch’s heart. She wanted to thank him, but at that moment, Martha said:
“Look! There’s a boat by the shore. We could use it to get to the other side!” she whispered excitedly. Magant and Deirdra looked in the direction indicated by the forest guardian. Indeed, by the shore, a small wooden boat was moored to a wooden beam, with oars inside.
“Do you want to steal someone’s boat?” Magant was shocked by his friend’s suggestion.
“No, where did you get that idea? I just want to borrow it,” Martha replied with disarming honesty and innocence.
“But… how will you return it afterward?” Magant didn’t understand the witch’s plan.
“Deirdra could use her powers to make it float back to where it belongs,” Martha was happy she wouldn’t have to enter the icy water. She was already soaked and chilled.
“Hm… not a bad idea,” Magant concluded. “Could you do that, Deirdra?”
“Piece of cake,” Deirdra smiled.
The friends remained hidden in the bush until dusk. During this time, they observed the town standing on the lake. All the buildings, streets, and houses were located on a wooden platform supported by huge wooden stakes. Behind the city, the wooden base merged with the ground, where fields were tended by the inhabitants. During the day, the town was bustling with activity and noise, but not the kind the friends expected to see. Instead of typical urban chaos, they saw a close-knit community bustling with its chores.
The noise wasn’t the usual shouting of merchants at stalls but laughter and conversations among neighbors. Martha was impressed by how people managed to create such a soothing and idyllic place. In a way, she envied them a bit for being able to live in such a peaceful place. Deirdra noticed with what tenderness Martha observed the daily life of the inhabitants and turned to her:
“Don’t be fooled by appearances; these people aren’t as happy and good as they seem,” she whispered, leaning toward her friend.
“What do you mean?” Martha asked, intrigued.
“These people might seem to live in an idyllic land, but it’s all lies and deceit. In reality, everyone here is envious and deceitful. I’ve had dealings with them when they tried to attack my meadow. I’ve heard them feeding their children idiotic stories about Reine,” she spoke angrily.
“They attacked your meadow?” surprised, Magant asked. Deirdra turned her head toward him and replied:
“Oh, indeed, more than once. Attempts were made to drive me out of Reine and burn down my cottage. The belief persists that because of me, they have poor harvests and that the fish don’t bite for them. They even mentioned a monster I supposedly created that roams the meadow at night, leaving hoofprints behind. Would you believe in something so absurd?” she asked, annoyed.
Magant laid his hand on Deirdra’s shoulder to calm her.
“I believe you, Deirdra, but you must know it’s not their fault. For generations, they’ve been saturated with hatred for witches, so they blame every misfortune in their lives on witches.”
When Martha heard what Magant said, she expected a burst of anger from her friend, but instead, she saw Deirdra look into the monster’s eyes and nod in agreement.
“This is something new, calm and composed Deirdra. Well, well,” Martha thought to herself and smiled.
As the sun had already hidden behind the horizon, the friends slowly made their way to the city. They were scared, but they figured that if they behaved normally, as if they were residents, nothing bad should happen. They were most concerned about not attracting the attention of the guards. After crossing the boundary of the meadow and the city, they headed towards Wonderful Lake. The witches persuaded Magant to look at the ground while moving through the city because his red eyes could attract unwanted attention. They had been walking for a few minutes, passing signs that read “KURPOT – TOWN BY WONDERFUL LAKE,” and they also passed a few people hurrying home. Fortunately, none of them recognized them. They finally reached the moored boat and managed to get into it.
“Oh, how great, we made it,” Martha breathed a sigh of relief.
“Don’t jinx it; we’re not on the other shore yet,” Deirdra scolded her.
Magant seized the oars and began rowing. Simultaneously, Deirdra wielded water magic to create a current that would lead them to the other shore faster. Martha scrutinized their surroundings to see if anyone was following them. However, when Deirdra employed magic, an even sharper stabbing pain surged at the site of her broken rib. Swallowing saliva, she clenched her teeth, attempting to ignore the pain, but it only intensified. Closing her eyelids to cope somehow, she tried to breathe shallowly but evenly. Inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth, but nothing alleviated the pain.
“Deirdra, what are you doing?!” Martha exclaimed.
The witch opened her eyes and saw that the water current she had created was not leading them to the other shore but straight to another boat. She saw Magant struggling with the current using the oars, and Martha looking around in panic. So Deirdra removed the water current, so now only with the strength of Magant’s arms could they make it to the other end of the lake. The witch tucked her hands in her pockets and averted her gaze. She felt faint, finding it increasingly difficult to breathe.
“Deirdra, what’s happening?” Martha leaned toward her friend and reached out her hand to grasp her chin and lift her head so they could look into each other’s eyes.
Deirdra saw concern and fear in the witch’s eyes. However, she realized that she couldn’t tell them how bad she felt right now because it might ruin their journey. So she lied, saying it was due to lack of sleep and overall weakness. Martha didn’t believe her. She saw that Deirdra was pale, with huge dark circles under her eyes. Furthermore, when she looked at her friend, she noticed how shallowly she was breathing. She didn’t even want to think about what could be causing such a state. Martha feared for her friend’s condition as well as whether their mission would succeed. She hoped that Agnes would help Deirdra if needed, but first, they had to reach her.
Martha looked at Magant and saw in his eyes that he also saw Deirdra’s condition. They understood each other without words, nodded to each other as a sign that they both knew what was happening to their friend.
“What’s happening… why are so many things happening to me?” Martha thought bitterly.
A familiar pressure built up in her stomach once more. It manifested whenever the witch was overwhelmed with problems and stress. Tremors shook her hands, turning them icy again. Gazing at her friend, she felt utterly powerless. Her sole desire was to reach Agnes as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Magant announced that they had reached the shore. Deirdra tried to stand up, but the angry monster told her not to move. For the first time, Martha heard so much anger in his voice. Magant walked on the swaying boat to Deirdra and gently took her in his arms despite her protests. Seeing this, Martha quickly stood up and left the boat.
“Leave it, I can walk by myself!” Deirdra protested firmly.
“Deirdra, we see that something is happening. You have to admit it; otherwise, the whole mission will fail,” Martha’s voice broke; she was so scared.
Deirdra looked first at her friend and then at Magant. She understood that she could no longer hide her condition, so she confessed everything. Including suspicions of a broken rib. As she said this, she saw Magant’s face go pale, and his eyes became sad. Martha burst into tears. It was all too much for her.
“It’s my fault; I shouldn’t have dragged you into this,” she cried.
Magant was also shaken; he carefully laid Deirdra on the ground and took her hands.
“Deirdra, I’m upset that you lied to me and Martha, but I understand that you did it for the greater good. What can I do for you now to make you feel better?”
The tone of the monster’s voice, along with the fact that he was holding the witch’s hand and looking into her eyes, made Deirdra feel pleasant shivers all over her body. She didn’t know what to say to him, so she cast her gaze down to the ground. She felt herself blushing all over.
“Please answer me,” the monster insisted.
“Well, you could look for a carriage. I won’t be able to walk, and you can’t carry me all the way,” Deirdra replied, still not meeting his gaze. “I brought some gold with me; you could buy a small cart from someone outside the city, from the nearby village, on which I could lie down,” she added.
“Do you want me to pull you on a cart for the rest of the way?” Magant asked, concerned.
Deirdra nodded and finally dared to lift her gaze. She felt butterflies in her stomach when she saw the redness in Magant’s eyes. The monster stood up and approached Martha to tell her what they needed to do. The witch looked at Deirdra and nodded in agreement. She only said that they had to find a host far enough from the city so that he wouldn’t run away after the guards, who were in the city. Deirdra gave them the gold, and Magant laid her in the tall grass so that no one would find her.
Finding a host who was situated far from the city and had a cart for sale was not an easy task, but Martha managed it. She bought the cart from an older man who needed gold to treat his wife. She exchanged a few polite words with him and headed back to Deirdra. Magant waited for Martha, away from the villages, so as not to attract the attention of the surrounding residents.
“We did it; I have the cart,” Martha said. “Deirdra was wrong about the people. They are poor, sick, have a lot of problems. Just like us,” she recounted breathlessly to Magant.
“Deirdra doesn’t yet understand the complexity of human life. But someday, she will,” Magant replied.
Martha wasn’t listening anymore; she was lost in her thoughts and worries. They reached Deirdra without obstacles, who was anxiously waiting for them. She was afraid to be left alone in such a state, among human settlements.
“They caught me once already,” she thought. “And look where they’ve brought me.”
She heard Martha and Magant approaching her. When they reached her, Martha prepared a support for Deirdra’s head on the cart, and Magant laid the witch on the cart. They set off on their way.
“Now we have to go through Starkada’s cave, and we’ll be there,” Martha said.
“Through Starkada’s cave?” frightened Deirdra asked.
“Yes, why do you ask?” Martha replied.
“A giant lives there!” Deirdra exclaimed in fear.
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